Tahawol: Cause of devastating floods in Nuristan discussed |تحول: دلیل سیلاب‌های ویرانگر در نورستان

[00:00:13]Hello and good evening. Welcome to Tonight's Change with Me, Dariush Ahmadi. The death toll from the deadly flood in Parun city, the capital of Nuristan province, has reached 23. The Disaster Preparedness and Combating Directorate says that about 80 people were injured and more than 100 others are missing following the flood. The department says that 15 bodies have been pulled from the rubble so far. Search and rescue operations are ongoing and the number of victims and missing persons is likely to change. The devastating flood hit the region on Monday evening after heavy rains. Pay attention to the report on this matter. A massive landslide in Nuristan, a disaster that has plunged the city of Parun, the center of this mountainous region, into mourning.

[00:01:10]On Monday evening, heavy and sustained rainfall caused deadly flooding in Parun-e-Bran. The flood that swept through parts of the city in a short period of time and caused heavy damage. In the first hour after the incident, local authorities in Nuristan announced the discovery of 11 bodies and the disappearance of 15 people.

[00:01:54]According to local officials, this devastating landslide caused about $35 million in financial damage to the residents of this area.

[00:02:11]Parun was previously known for its lush green forests, pristine nature, and mountainous landscapes. But the devastating flood changed the face of this city in one day.

[00:02:22]According to witnesses to the incident, parts of the city market, including the municipal market, hotels, shops, and some commercial establishments and residential homes, were in the path of the flood, parts of which have now been destroyed. The search operation to find the missing and to treat the injured is still ongoing.

[00:02:52]Local officials say security forces, the Red Crescent Disaster Management Office of the Faydama District, and local residents are participating in relief and rescue efforts. The Disaster Management Office says that at least 23 people have died, about 80 have been injured, and more than 100 others are missing as a result of the landslide. The office said that 15 bodies have been pulled from the rubble so far.

[00:03:33]Search and rescue operations are still ongoing.

[00:03:36]The figures are preliminary and the number of victims and missing people is likely to increase.

[00:04:08]Officials have called on aid agencies to take immediate action to assist the affected families in Parun. At the same time, the Meteorological Department has warned of the possibility of heavy rainfall and flash floods in another province.

[00:04:24]Welcome again, my guests on this program, Mr. Najibal Sadid, climate affairs expert, and Mr. Saeed Abdul Baset Rahmani. Please join us for a moment.

[00:04:37]Dear guests, I welcome you to the discussion.

[00:04:39]Mr. Sadie, let me start the discussion with you.

[00:04:42]In recent years, Afghanistan has become extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. What ultimately causes Afghanistan to face such adverse climatic conditions?

[00:04:58]I greet you, Ahmadi Sahib and all the esteemed viewers, esteemed guests. You see, Afghanistan has several factors that have caused the mental changes and natural disasters in this country to be very catastrophic and in fact, full of problems.

[00:05:13]One of them is the climate. You understand that Afghanistan is located in the arid belt of the earth.

[00:05:21]Climate change has caused this region to always witness heat waves, especially in the summer when the temperature rises very high. So, the climate discussion and the increase in the temperature are important here because we have been witnessing heat waves in this region for several days.

[00:05:38]When the temperature rises, the air is able to absorb more water. This means that if the temperature rises by one degree Celsius, the air holds 7 percent more water, which causes the formation of very heavy clouds. Heavy clouds in a very small area actually release a column of water on the ground, which means it causes heavy rainfall as we witnessed in Nuristan. Last year, we saw it in Benin, on the side of the Devand line in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and we also saw it in other parts of the world. There are rainfalls that, in fact, Cloud Otter calls it, meaning that in a very small area, a column of water flows through the earth, which in a very short time forms a flood of air. This is a discussion that is directly related to the increase in the degree of change, in which the earth's atmosphere has become warmer overall, and Central Asia and Afghanistan have become much warmer than the rest of the earth. This is a discussion. The second issue is the geography of Afghanistan. You see, Afghanistan is a mountainous country as a whole, and in some parts of a mountainous country, the vegetation is weak. But in the case of Nuristan, it is clear that there is better vegetation here, but what makes floods in Nuristan so severe is that there are so many mountainous valleys. All of this causes floods to form in a very short period of time. This means that you actually have very little time to inform yourself about the flood that flows from upstream to downstream, and this little time is clearly directly related to the casualties and damages that occur, especially if you have more time, meaning that from upstream, for example, half an hour later, a flood reaches downstream. In this case, you have time to inform people. People also have time to inform themselves in advance, but during peak hours in the mountains, this time is very little, and that is why casualties actually increase.

[00:07:30]People are taken by surprise. The third issue is that Afghanistan is not alone in having a real-time weather information system, meaning it is happening at the same time as it actually happens and reaches the people when it reaches them.

[00:07:45]Weather forecasts are taken from reputable international centers and shared with the people by government agencies. However, these forecasts are very limited. For example, they cannot tell you exactly that at such and such an hour of the day there is a possibility of such and such an amount of rainfall in such and such a place, but rather they say that there is a possibility of such and such a day.

[00:08:04]Rainfall in this province is a lot of information, a lot of information is not clear, and people make decisions based on it. Other countries have radar systems.

[00:08:16]Radar systems are also good, they can actually detect the formation of a rainfall wave and its direction of movement within minutes. That's why it's clear. You get the news a few minutes earlier. But what's important is that at least you have the awareness that rainfall has formed here and is moving in this direction.

[00:08:34]Because these areas are witnessing floods, it's possible that people's hearts will be able to get this information to the people in real time. I do n't think there's anything else important about Afghanistan. Most people do n't have access to the information that is published, or the information reaches them too late, or there's no attention to it. In many places, we see that people don't pay attention to information about natural disasters, rainfall, and floods. You see that somewhere in a river there is a flood. People are driving their cars into the river, causing casualties. We saw several such incidents in northern Afghanistan, and this shows that people's trust in geological information and flood discussions is very weak.

[00:09:19]All of this goes hand in hand. In the context of vulnerability, we see that people are actually building near rivers, and the riverbanks are being damaged. Even during flood hours, when people thought that there would be no more floods here, they are building and building dams there. In some parts of Nuristan, we saw that during flood hours, they are actually building dams.

[00:09:41]Residential areas were built there, and the casualties are also in those details. This shows how people are exposed to the effects of ignorance, the effects of the lack of government plans, the embezzlement of government and development. We have actually made ourselves more vulnerable. We went near rivers and rivers. There are reports that floods in Afghanistan are very dangerous and costly. Do you think that the Nuristan incident has ended in a disaster, or is it a sign of similar events in the near future? The Nuristan incident is neither the first nor the last. Unfortunately, we have been involved in several incidents in the past few years. In Baghlan, we witnessed very violent floods that we have never seen before in the history of our region. In this region near us in Khyber, the Pashtuns witnessed several very violent floods. A few years ago, a third of the entire Pakistan went under water. Therefore, our understanding of these events is that these events will occur in the future, based on the fact that climate change is becoming more severe. The temperature of the earth's atmosphere is getting higher. These events will not only intensify, but also become more frequent. This means that we should expect such events to occur more frequently, sooner, and more severely in the future. This means that most of our people will be worried. Therefore, we must do something that is clear: Afghanistan has not created any changes that we can prevent or have a share in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The industrialized countries that are responsible for climate change have a responsibility to work on this issue to reduce greenhouse gas emissions again so that the earth's atmosphere can finally return to the state it was in before industrialization. Of course, one by one, this is our ideal goal. We have to reach him, but what Afghanistan has done is adapt.

[00:11:36]We have to adapt our buildings to the new conditions. We have to adapt our housing. We have to adapt our people's lives.

[00:11:43]Our people's awareness has to reach a level where we have to live in these new climatic conditions.

[00:11:48]Yes, sir. Continuing this discussion after the break, welcome back to the discussion. Mr. Rahmani. I welcome you to the discussion. I welcome you to the discussion. I welcome you to the discussion about the aftershocks of the Nuristan incident. What do you think are the possible cases at the moment and what possible measures should be taken at the moment?

[00:12:23]In the name of Allah, the Merciful. Hello, my dear guests, my wife, and the viewers of Night Arjameh. You see, the scenario we saw yesterday is a scenario that is constantly being repeated. We are witnessing a more heartbreaking, more severe and so-called more serious event. What happened in the elementary school was actually a surprise to everyone. Everyone was taken aback and did not expect it.

[00:13:00]As we discussed, the Iranian issue has really had a very deep impact on Afghanistan, especially in hot weather conditions. When this incident happened, naturally, people were injured, many lost their family members, their loved ones.

[00:13:23]In order for the emergency situation to be resolved, life on this side would be normal. It is natural that all the resources available in the region must be used, and information must be provided to the people.

[00:13:42]Many people may have been lost by now. They are still missing. The rescue teams must work hard to find these people and they must search the areas where these loved ones may be. The next issue is water assistance. And there is food. These are also desperately needed. Many of those whose homes were on the road were saved, but they lost their homes, housing, and courts. It is natural that they need care and need so-called supplies and food, at least one house and one temporary shelter. And there is a need for teams like that. I said, all the resources they have, whether from international institutions, internal institutions, government departments, or people who have the ability and facilities, must go to the region, join hands with their compatriots, join hands with those who are waiting, so that we can manage the emergency situation well. Do you think that neighboring provinces are still in danger, like the one that happened in Nuristan on Monday?

[00:15:15]Do you think that in the near future, several other provinces that are close to Nuristan will continue to be exposed to a dangerous danger?

[00:15:33]If you remember in 2019, a very severe weapon was used in Parwan.

[00:15:41]Continuing from this past year, we had the same series in Jalalabad, the same province that is close to the eastern region of Afghanistan, the eastern region and close to the central region.

[00:15:58]Similarly, we had the deadly flood even a little further away in Baglam. And we are witnessing that we were right. Well, as the weather gets warmer, the dynamics of the meteorological system become more dynamic, and parameters such as temperature have a lot of influence on other parameters. As the temperature increases, the amount of precipitation from the sea level increases, and in fact, the effect of the air system on the wind increases.

[00:16:38]Well, and the most moisture that we receive in the summer is actually from the east of the country. There is a country, and when we consider the province of Nuristan, geographically this province is at a very high altitude, it has a very steep altitude, and in terms of topography, we see that it has a steep topography, narrow doors, and even in the context of this issue, there are other geographical factors, there are biological issues. We had a trip to the mountains with Ovar Badim last year to discuss the assessment of the risks of tuberculosis. There were many people there who had destroyed the forest, and we saw the efforts of the plant between the trees. Unfortunately, many have been removed and many people have built their houses in the riverbeds near the river and the so-called "salwar" area. Well, on the one hand, they have no choice because there is no land there, but there is a problem that there is very little awareness among the people.

[00:17:46]So, if we go back to your question, it is natural that, as the forecasts tell you, in the past few days, in the next few days, including the one-off rainfall, these one-off rainfalls will come in a cumulative manner, so to speak, and from these steep slopes and from these so-called lands that do not have the ability to absorb these loads, they will suddenly pile up and move and destroy people's lives and property. This is serious. These warnings should be followed very seriously by the people, they should be taken into consideration, and I thank them very much. After the Nuristan incident, the Meteorological Department has announced the possibility of heavy rainfall and flash floods in 10 other provinces of the country in order to combat the What should be done to address the potential harms of these events?

[00:18:54]Look, I am focusing on the issue of addressing what is in the steps before the incident, what is during the incident, and what is in the discussion of reconstruction. We must have a decentralized system in our model.

[00:19:11]Because we are a mountainous country, when incidents occur, roads are blocked. Accidents such as landslides and rock slides, etc., etc. occur, which actually limit the communication routes with the center. Even the districts with the district center, in fact, the provincial center, actually have their roads cut off. In these situations, you are left with only air. And we understand that the issue of air facilities for reaching aid or rescue teams by air is very difficult in our mountainous country with poor facilities. That is why the focus should be on the fact that we, the provinces, at the level of the villages, must have rescue teams that must help the people in these three stages. It is true that our people are very interested in these discussions, but these people must be given the facilities and training. They must see how to properly For example, in the flood rescue, at what time is it possible? In fact, temporary housing should be established. Medicine, medicine, in fact, water, clean water, and food should be considered for people in a decentralized manner at the higher levels. Therefore, all the measures that can be taken to reduce casualties are far less. But when it comes to floods, it is clear that they cause casualties, but floods also pollute the water. That is, the next steps are that the water of wells and even springs becomes contaminated, and other microbes and bacteria take root in these waters.

[00:20:46]If dirty water is used, it can cause diseases, even contagious diseases. That is why I am focusing on the fact that in the discussion of dealing with all stages of natural disasters, we must have trained people at the district level and at the village level.

[00:21:04]Or willing people who are willing to cooperate. That is, after the training and facilities for dealing with such disasters, for example, I reminded you that it should be at the district level so that we do not have to block roads or Let's have conversations, so that people can reach us in a timely manner.

[00:21:28]Considering the current business situation and the prevailing climate in Afghanistan's geographies, what do you think we can assess this year and the coming months in terms of weather and climate issues?

[00:21:44]You see, Afghanistan and the global climate in general are affected by the phenomenon that takes place in the Pacific Ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, we have two phenomena, one is the opposite of the other, and one is called El Nino and the other is called Lenin. El Nino means that the water in the ocean becomes warmer than normal.

[00:22:04]And this year we have an extraordinary El Nino. El Nino means that the water in the ocean actually warms up by more than two and a half degrees Celsius.

[00:22:11]And this is related to how the weather in our region is formed in the new scientific years that you see in all the years, you see 19, 997, 2015, 2016, these recent years 20, 2023, 24, and this year that we have an extraordinary new one. We are reliable before all the forecasting centers in the world. Their figures show that this year Afghanistan will have more rainfall than normal, especially from the month. In fact, the rainfall will start much earlier, that is, from the month, the rainfall will start and maybe the whole winter and a kind of winter in Afghanistan will have much more rainfall. You understand that In Libra and Scorpio, the air temperature is warm, meaning that when it is warm, most of the precipitation falls in the form of rain, in the form of snow, and when it does fall in the form of rain, it is clear that you can expect very destructive floods. This is because most of our mountainous country receives precipitation in the form of snow in the winter, and the snow remains there and does not form surface flows. Therefore, when the precipitation starts earlier, it forms surface flows and flood flows. Therefore, the coming months will undoubtedly be very important for our country, especially when the amount of precipitation starts to be much more intense, but before the amount of eastern and southeastern Afghanistan, in the next two months, the wave of monsoon rains from India actually rains. That is why we have forests in the east and southeast, because these forests also survive in the scorching summer because of this wave of moisture.

[00:23:56]And we have forests in these areas because This month and the following month, eastern and southeastern Afghanistan will undoubtedly receive rainfall from the Indian monsoon.

[00:24:08]Despite the fact that we have a weak monsoon this year, India has not received much rainfall compared to normal, but it is still possible to bring sudden rainfall like in Nuristan because the weather is extremely hot this year. And the warmer the weather gets, the greater the risk of flash and regional floods, which are actually a column of water in a very small area that can fall on the ground and cause very severe floods, as we saw in Nuristan this year and in previous years in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

[00:24:38]Yes, very interesting. Continuing this discussion after a break.

[00:24:53]Welcome back, Rahmani.

[00:24:55]According to statistics, Afghanistan is one of the countries that is most vulnerable to the phenomenon of climate change.

[00:25:08]What changes do you think this phenomenon can bring to the individual lives of Afghans in the near future?

[00:25:16]Well, in different ways, we can see the effects of the T-Aqlim, from the discussion of the landslides that we are witnessing to the discussion of rare, very intense, persistent and frequent droughts since 2000. The droughts in Afghanistan have been very different. The increase in droughts that used to occur every five years is now returning. They are returning every year, every two years in Afghanistan. And another aspect that could be the amazing effects of the drought in the country is the discussion of dust storms due to the drying of the lakes, due to the drying of the wetlands and the same areas that are waterlogged, areas that have moisture, and the moisture of the land itself. These also go hand in hand and the amount of dust and the loss of agriculture. We are a country where most of our people are very traditional farmers, water-based farmers, and the type of crops that we use. This type of crop or crop requires a lot of water and requires a lot of water. So when the water resources are really scarce, It may be reduced and come at once, for example, as I said, in the form of a column of water, it comes at once. We do not have the ability to store it or it will become unavailable. It will become a disaster and we will be forced to use groundwater to provide water for agriculture and industry. As we see today in different parts of the country, the eastern part of Afghanistan is under flood today, the western, northern and southern parts of Afghanistan are involved in dust storms, climate migrations, and severe water shortages.

[00:27:22]These are two sides of the coin that are happening in Afghanistan right now. One part of Afghanistan is witnessing drought right now, another part of Afghanistan is witnessing severe droughts today, with water shortages, with great water stress. Therefore, a very big alarm is sounding, a big warning at the level of reason that if we do not pay attention to these issues, if we do not pay attention to these issues, it will have many consequences. If there is no water, if there are so-called natural disasters, the dangers of the environment or the environment, or if we say the dangers related to the issues of reason, will increase. The security of life The environment is harsh, but our conflicts are increasing, migration is increasing, economic problems are increasing, and other problems are increasing day by day. Therefore, it is not a small issue that we should ignore. It must be examined from different angles. The issue that exists in Afghanistan today, in terms of discussing natural hazards, we always go to them when they happen. When an accident occurs, we always go to investigate them. We go to work. The only thing we can do in all the institutions that I am in Afghanistan today, including government organizations and departments, is to deal with those who have been injured or lost their lives in these accidents.

[00:29:08]Our work has not gone beyond that. That is, our work in terms of accident management is a reactive work. It is a work that, so to speak, we are just waiting for an accident to occur and then we will deal with it. If we do not change our approach, naturally the crisis will escalate into a disaster and the conditions will become much more severe. Yes, the descendants of Afghanistan are in What is the current level of efforts to combat climate change?

[00:29:40]Do you think we currently have sufficient infrastructure, or at least at a moderate level, to combat this phenomenon?

[00:29:52]Look, there is a word in the world today called governance in natural hazards.

[00:29:59]Even today, the discussion of disasters in the world has no place in terminology. Removing the fight against disasters has no place in today's terminology because we cannot fight a natural phenomenon.

[00:30:10]Floods themselves are a natural phenomenon that occurs that we do not have the ability to deal with, that we do not understand, that we do not know about.

[00:30:19]For example, we are not prepared. Even the name of our department is the Disaster Preparedness Department. The name of the department is old. The structure of the department is old. And all the versions that exist in Afghanistan today in the affairs of the Secretary of Disasters. Everything is old and traditional, from the structure to the policies to the discussion of the infrastructure that we have in Afghanistan today. Unfortunately, everything has problems. Everything needs to be reviewed.

[00:30:47]Everything needs to be changed in their approach. For example, today, before a flood occurs, our Meteorological Department and the Ministry of Disaster Management should have the ability to do this. For example, tuberculosis is not like an earthquake, which cannot be predicted. Floods may be predictable, but our capabilities must be.

[00:31:09]For example, the separate meteorological office does its own work. The Ministry of Investigation and Hadiths does its work separately.

[00:31:18]Each of these departments does separate work in competition with each other.

[00:31:24]Instead of working in competition, they should create a collective structure, a so-called system-centric structure, alongside each other, which can analyze, transform, and evaluate these statistics and figures that can give us the ability to recognize the danger.

[00:31:45]Then, with all the facilities of the stations that exist in the country today, even the Ministry of Energy, all of these should be unified, analyzed, and reviewed. And later, for example, the Meteorological Department, which is responsible for monitoring the situation through Facebook, announces iftars or warnings. To what extent do our people have access to these tools? For example, if we examine Nuristan, you will see that they have very little access to this issue. They have very little access to technology and the Internet. For our method and the tool that we use in this regard, this tool must be suitable, that is, it must be suitable for the current conditions of the people and people can use it.

[00:32:31]Yes.

[00:32:32]So our tool is an imaginary tool, a tool that you only keep in your mind. We have fulfilled our responsibility. In fact, it is not a fulfillment of responsibility.

[00:32:42]Thank you very much, Mr. Siddiq. Currently, Afghanistan has been able to use how much of the international resources that exist to combat climate threats.

[00:32:53]Now, according to statistics, Afghanistan is the sixth country in the world that is most vulnerable to this phenomenon.

[00:33:01]Considering that there has been no intervention in the area of creating the problems that are being called in this regard, you would think that Afghanistan currently has sufficient resources and funds available.

[00:33:19]Unfortunately, no. Look at the developments that have occurred since 2021. Afghanistan has actually lost all the international funds that have been created for climate change adaptation projects. In fact, it has lost all of them and has not received money from any of these funds.

[00:33:38]You see that there are too many funds for this reason, for example, the Green Climate Fund, the Loss and Damage Fund, etc., etc., funds that should actually go to these countries that are suffering and are suffering from floods and from The natural resources that are actually affected by climate change should receive money, receive funding, and implement these projects.

[00:34:02]In fact, Afghanistan does not receive any financial resources from the government, but it is clear that some projects are delivered through international organizations of some countries, which we are still witnessing in Afghanistan.

[00:34:19]For example, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has implemented the Mar Chagma process or projects for projects that actually create a regional level of adaptation to climate shocks. For example, other organizations such as the United Nations Development Program have implemented some similar projects or the International Organization for Migration have implemented similar projects in discussions on forest restoration, in discussions on water management, water management in general, surface water and groundwater, and some other areas that are working in Afghanistan.

[00:34:56]But these projects are very large in terms of their impact. In fact, they are very large in terms of the amount that Afghanistan needs to be able to withstand these shocks. A minority actually creates some kind of resistance. We see that if we compare it with neighboring countries, the entire infrastructure of Afghanistan's water reserves can store 10 billion cubic meters of water.

[00:35:22]For example, in Nuristan, there is no dam that can actually store water and increase some kind of community resistance against floods.

[00:35:30]In other provinces of Afghanistan, there are no dams. And if you compare this with our neighbor Iran, its water reserves are 27 times greater than Afghanistan's. When there is a flood there, all the flood water, which is a disaster, turns into an opportunity because it is stored in 100% of their water. And this water actually finds an opportunity to nourish groundwater, increase vegetation cover, and provide drinking water resources in many areas.

[00:36:00]But in Afghanistan, unfortunately, this water causes a disaster because we should actually use this water, which is an opportunity, but we cannot use it. This is not just a matter of institutions, but also of the world. Governments, in this matter, we, the community, also have a responsibility to manage it. Their fathers should work. It is clear that Afghanistan is being treated fairly because Afghanistan has the right to receive international monetary funds, financial resources, and even technical assistance for the development of its water resources and to increase the resilience of its communities against climate shocks. However, if we are in a situation where we are forced to do something ourselves, well, these things have started in some areas. We see that some projects are being implemented by governments. In some areas, people themselves have started working.

[00:36:50]For example, if we first take the example of Jagri, people themselves have started building water management systems. We see that even floodwater lakes have been repaired, and even water wells that had dried up are finding water again. There is positive news from the people themselves. But these are on a much smaller scale. In fact, in the middle of Afghanistan, people should be given an incentive to wait for international institutions and aid.

[00:37:17]Because we are losing our language, climate change is not waiting for us.

[00:37:22]Climate shocks always make our people wait.

[00:37:24]If we can make some changes in water management even at the regional level, we can not only turn natural disasters into opportunities, but we can actually transfer these experiences from one region to another and take ownership of such projects throughout the country because these projects are initiated by the people themselves. Their ownership is in the hands of the people themselves. Their maintenance is in the hands of the people themselves. Of course, this does not mean that we declare everything in the hands of the people. The people should be given technical advice by the product departments, technical discussions, and technical guidance, because these are core processes that must be done correctly. But as I said, these efforts are not yet in place for Afghanistan to actually make a difference in the face of climate shocks.

[00:38:13]Yes, but do you think that until Afghanistan finally gets access to the same resources and facilities, with a number of small actions by communities and within communities, individual actions can be taken. Face such a major threat, considering that we are now in the sixth stage of vulnerability, which is a really dangerous stage. You can see that Afghanistan can do it. It can do it. But it needs more. It needs awareness in the communities. It is a very long-term process.

[00:38:54]But if we can receive money from the trust funds, the governments can become more active here and have a budget. They can obtain financial and specialized resources.

[00:39:03]In this case, the process will be very fast.

[00:39:05]For example, in two decades, you can complete the same water project that you could not complete in years. Because in the era we live in, the technology of construction, infrastructure, and management is much better than in previous years. If we can receive resources, for example, we can start a process that has been left behind and is currently weak. Let 's clarify, we can build much more effective and better dams than before. We can manage water better. Let's improve irrigation management and in fact, even diversify our agriculture, change the type of cultivation that actually brings value to us, not so that we can actually use the resources for ourselves, and our agriculture actually benefits our people. The technical facilities are currently available, compared to the past, but it is clear that the only financial resources that are currently available are customs, the sources of internal government revenue, the aid, in fact, are mines, which should be used in such projects, and in my opinion, if we manage water, we will actually be able to reduce the number of accidents and their losses to a large extent.

[00:40:24]Thank you very much. The program will continue after the break.

[00:40:37]Welcome back, Mr. Rahmani. I would like to conclude the discussion.

[00:40:41]Finally, considering the challenges that were pointed out to him during the discussion, what should be your current priorities for Afghanistan in combating natural disasters and also the phenomenon of climate change?

[00:40:58]Well, we can have short-term issues, short-term plans, and short-term plans. The problem is how we can, for example, at least protect people's lives and property, at least reduce casualties as much as possible. Today, in Afghanistan, the self-assessment system and warning system are very important. First of all, the system should be strengthened. The system should be prepared to a very high level in view of all modern technologies so that it can help people. The next issue is that we need to create a culture for the people. People should have this culture among themselves.

[00:41:51]But the discussion of warning can actually be done through the people themselves. The people at the top and the people at the bottom can be informed. When they see an unusual weather condition, it is natural that it can be very effective. For example, in the next few days, we will witness other floods.

[00:42:13]When the people of a region, for example, live in a one-minute distance from a region called Selor, there must be coordination. There are people at the top and people at the bottom, but there are imperfect systems that actually hint that people at the bottom are informed from the top and they save their lives and imagine that area.

[00:42:40]But in the long term, maybe we need a comprehensive society with different tendencies and different perspectives, from the discussion of comprehensive management to the promotion and strengthening of the government, the discussion of natural hazard management to other issues. This can solve our problems in the long term.

[00:43:04]How much do we really think that the institutions that are currently providing assistance and help have a great responsibility to try to find appropriate and practical solutions?

[00:43:18]Well, the issue of Afghanistan is not an issue separate from the rest of the world. We are also members of human society.

[00:43:25]We are members of the international community.

[00:43:28]International organizations play a very important role. In the current situation, Afghanistan is under restrictions and the voice of the Afghan people should be heard. Intellectual and political issues should not be ignored and the people of Afghanistan should help. If in the real discussions of Afghanistan, the Afghan people are deprived of aid from what the world should pay us, not as charity but as compensation, not only will the pressure on the Afghan people increase, but migration will increase, and other problems of other countries will increase. Therefore, with a special diplomacy, with a different diplomacy, international organizations should pay attention to this area and present these as observations, as the so-called issues that are happening right now and the oppression of the people. I hope that through this, through proper diplomacy, we will witness the provision of funds and opportunities for Afghanistan, both in financial and specialized matters.

[00:44:34]Thank you very much, Sadie. As a last question, how important can public awareness be in your view in the current situation?

[00:44:48]You see, not only is awareness important in itself, but the type of awareness is also important.

[00:44:54]How do you build trust in people? Most people who have confidence, you see people in cities who actually drive into floods, actually don't mean that they are not aware that there is a flood here, or that the flood has become severe.

[00:45:11]Rather, they don't have trust, attention, and these things. Therefore, we mentioned that the discussion of the tribunes of the mosques of the country, the mullahs, the imams of the country, have played a very important role in this area, not only in transmitting information to the people through the mosques, but also in building trust and attention in the people, which is important, even in the discussion of the ministries working with mosques, the sectoral ministries of Afghanistan, for example, the discussion of development, rehabilitation, urban development, etc., etc., the maps of natural hazards in mosques through the mosques, in fact, sharing the maps with the people, for example, in Install mosque signs to show people the danger hours, which area is in danger of flooding, the area is in danger of landslides, which are areas where construction should not take place. We see that in most cases, casualties and damage are high because we should actually be building during hours when construction should not be done. During those hours, there are flood-prone hours, for example, or hours when there is a risk of landslides or rock slides. This issue is very important that we connect the people of our communities, our surroundings, and the training of mosques and sectoral ministries so that coordination can be established in the transfer of information, as well as in warning and in the discussion of reducing vulnerability in the right direction.

[00:46:35]Thank you for the presence of my guests who were present in this discussion with us, and thank you for watching tonight's transformation. The transformation program ends here, God willing.